Russian Defense Ministry aircraft with the sanctioned plane RA-85042 landed at Ben Gurion Airport

On the evening of November 8, a Tu-154M of the Russian Ministry of Defense made a flight from Chkalovsky near Moscow to Israel's Ben Gurion Airport — a route rare in recent years. The purpose of the visit and the passengers were not disclosed: the Russian embassy, the IDF, and the Israeli Prime Minister's Office all declined to comment. Aircraft RA-85042 has been on the US Treasury sanctions registry since 2023.

Otabek YusupovFirst published on tafs uz 9 November 2026 at 20:332 min read

The key facts

A Tu-154M (RA-85042) of the Russian Defense Ministry's 223rd Flight Unit arrived at Ben Gurion on the evening of November 8; the flight took about four hours
Israel's public broadcaster KAN called the landing 'unusual': no such landings at the airport have been recorded in recent years
The purpose of the visit and the passenger list are unknown; the Russian embassy, the IDF, and the Israeli Prime Minister's Office declined to comment on the flight

A rare visit by a Russian military aircraft to Tel Aviv

On the evening of November 8, a Tu-154M aircraft of the Russian Ministry of Defense landed at Ben Gurion Airport. The aircraft, registered RA-85042, took off from the Chkalovsky airfield near Moscow, flew over the Black Sea and through Turkish airspace, and entered Israeli airspace from the Mediterranean; according to Flightradar24, the flight took about four hours. This was reported by Life.ru, citing the flight-tracking service.

An 'unusual' flight without explanations

Israel's public broadcaster KAN, which is cited by the Turkish news agency Anadolu, described the landing as 'unusual': according to the broadcaster, no such landings by a Russian military aircraft at Ben Gurion have been recorded in recent years. The aircraft, used to carry high-ranking officials and military personnel, was first spotted via a flight-tracking app; on Monday morning, KAN received video footage of the aircraft at the airport. The broadcaster said the plane was expected to leave Israel on Monday, without specifying the departure time. An Israeli military spokesperson, the Prime Minister's Office, and the Russian embassy in Israel all declined to comment.

The aircraft's sanctions status and the parties' silence

Several outlets report matching details: The Jerusalem Post, which is cited by Gazeta.Ru, confirms the route over the Black Sea and Turkey and states that the aircraft belongs to the Russian Defense Ministry's 223rd Flight Unit. The aircraft has been under US sanctions since 2023: in May 2023, Washington imposed sanctions on the unit and added 37 aircraft associated with it to the list of blocked property; RA-85042 is listed in the US Treasury's sanctions registry. Who was on board and why the aircraft arrived in the country remains unknown; the Russian embassy in Jerusalem, the IDF, and US government agencies also did not respond to journalists' questions.